II 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 5222 

To require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to implement a 

pandemic preparedness and response program using artificial intelligence. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

SEPTEMBER 25, 2024 

Mr. ROUNDS (for himself and Mr. HEINRICH) introduced the following bill; 

which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions 

A BILL 

To require the Secretary of Health and Human Services 

to implement a pandemic preparedness and response program using artificial intelligence. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘MedShield Act of 

5 2024’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS; SENSE OF CONGRESS. 

7 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds as follows: 


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1 (1) The COVID–19 pandemic revealed the need 

2 to better organize pathogen defense of the people of 

3 the United States. 

4 (2) The National Security Commission on Arti5 ficial Intelligence concluded that COVID–19 sci6 entific advancements, notably accelerated by the ap7 plication of artificial intelligence, in addition to 

8 many other existing science and technology initia9 tives in the United States, should be used to build 

10 a comprehensive, operational, and integrated bio11 defense program that functions like a ‘‘shield’’ 

12 against manmade and non-manmade pathogens. 

13 (b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con14 gress that— 

15 (1) an initiative such as Operation Warp Speed 

16 should not be required for the next pandemic; 

17 (2) there is a requirement for a pandemic pre18 paredness and response program that would negate 

19 the need for a future Operation Warp Speed-like 

20 program or a declaration of a public health emer21 gency under section 319 of the Public Health Serv22 ice Act (42 U.S.C. 247d); and 

23 (3) the program established under section 3 

24 would operationalize artificial intelligence and a sys25 tem-of-systems integration across the interagency 


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1 and private sector, under the direction of the Sec2 retary of Health and Human Services. 

3 SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF MEDSHIELD PROGRAM. 

4 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Health and 

5 Human Services (referred to in this Act as the ‘‘Sec6 retary’’) shall implement a pandemic preparedness and re7 sponse program utilizing artificial intelligence and other 

8 relevant technologies, to be known as the ‘‘MedShield pro9 gram’’ (referred to in this Act as the ‘‘Program’’), in ac10 cordance with recommendations of the National Security 

11 Commission on Artificial Intelligence. The Program shall 

12 operationalize a national medical shield that gathers inno13 vations across the public-private ecosystem in the United 

14 States, as well as from allies and partners, to improve the 

15 efficiency and effectiveness of delivering medical solutions 

16 to individuals, functioning as a shield against biological 

17 threats. The Program shall continuously operate and mon18 itor threats, for the purpose of safeguarding the public 

19 health of the United States. 

20 (b) PLAN AND INTEGRATION.—Pursuant to the Pro21 gram, the Secretary shall— 

22 (1) develop a plan to integrate the recommenda23 tions of the National Security Commission on Artifi24 cial Intelligence for pandemic preparedness and re25 sponse, in accordance with the responsibilities of the 


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1 Department of Health and Human Services as the 

2 primary agency and coordinator for the emergency 

3 support function relating to public health and med4 ical services under the National Response Frame5 work of the Federal Emergency Management Agen6 cy; and 

7 (2) consult with heads of appropriate Federal 

8 agencies and select allies and partners to ensure the 

9 integration of the Program between relevant depart10 ments and agencies and international partners to 

11 achieve a coordinated international effort to address 

12 a pandemic. 

13 (c) UTILIZATION OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE.—In 

14 carrying out the Program, the Secretary shall leverage ar15 tificial intelligence and other relevant technologies and ca16 pabilities, including as follows: 

17 (1) Development and deployment of a global 

18 pathogen surveillance system for the real-time detec19 tion and tracking of pathogens. 

20 (2) Employment of artificial intelligence en21 abled systems to accelerate the identification and de22 velopment of effective vaccines. 

23 (3) Development and deployment of therapeutic 

24 treatments for individuals affected by biological 

25 threats. 


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1 (4) Advanced artificial intelligence-enabled mod2 eling to optimize strategies for pathogen tracking, 

3 vaccine distribution, and therapeutic interventions. 

4 (5) Streamlining and enhancing rapid manufac5 turing of vaccines and therapeutics. 

6 SEC. 4. REPORTING. 

7 Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment 

8 of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee 

9 on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions and the Com10 mittee on Appropriations of the Senate and the Committee 

11 on Energy and Commerce and the Committee on Appro12 priations of the House of Representatives a report detail13 ing the plan required under section 3(b). Such report shall 

14 be submitted in unclassified form, and may include a clas15 sified annex. 

16 SEC. 5. DEFINITIONS. 

17 In this Act— 

18 (1) the term ‘‘artificial intelligence’’ has the 

19 meaning given such term in section 1051(f) of the 

20 John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act 

21 for Fiscal Year 2019 (Public Law 115–232; 132 

22 Stat. 1962); 

23 (2) the term ‘‘MedShield’’ has the meaning 

24 given the term ‘‘BioShield’’ in the final report of the 

25 Commission submitted under section 1051(c)(2) of 


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1 the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization 

2 Act for Fiscal Year 2019 (132 Stat. 1965; Public 

3 Law 115–232); and 

4 (3) the term ‘‘National Security Commission on 

5 Artificial Intelligence’’ means such commission es6 tablished under section 1051 of the John S. McCain 

7 National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 

8 2019 (132 Stat. 1962; Public Law 115–232). 

9 SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

10 For purposes of carrying out the MedShield program, 

11 there are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary— 

12 (1) $300,000,000 for fiscal year 2025; 

13 (2) $350,000,000 for fiscal year 2026; 

14 (3) $400,000,000 for fiscal year 2027; 

15 (4) $450,000,000 for fiscal year 2028; and 

16 (5) $500,000,000 for fiscal year 2029, 

17 to remain available until expended. 

Æ 


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